Phoenix Suns: The Time to Rebuild Is Now

The Phoenix Suns have long been considered one of the most elite teams in the NBA. Scratch that, the most elite offensive team in basketball.

As the saying goes, "defense wins championships." Very few NBA teams have succeeded by going with the direct opposite of that saying.

The Suns are one of the best examples of a team that has focused its game on offense. They have exactly zero NBA titles to show for it.

I can't be the only fan who is tired of watching other teams compete for the title and who wishes something would change.

Well, the time for change is now—in fact, the time for change was years ago.

The Suns' focus on one side of the rock has long been attributed to Steve Nash's inability to play defense.

However, a team should never make those kind of sacrifices for the sake of a single player. Nash is not the first great player to be mediocre on defense, but he is one of the first to have the entire team follow him.

Nash is 37 and is going to be 38 this coming February. Many (including me) believe he will not end the season in the desert.

Considering he has long been my favorite player, I can only hope that he can make one more run at winning his ring before he has to call it quits.

His departure, while sad, should be celebrated by Suns fans. It gives the franchise a blank slate and to mold a new team with a new vision.

Hopefully, that vision includes some defense. If the Suns come back playing the same type of ball they have for the last decade, then trading Nash would have just been a waste.

The team around Nash is very weak. Without him dishing out his magnificent passes, there is no way they will be able to match their offensive numbers.

Their record will suffer, they will miss the playoffs, but they will also get a high draft pick. If they pick right, they can start building a new team.

Phoenix is headed for a long and cold night, but the sunrise is going to be magnificent to watch.